A Perfect Dream
by FaithinBones
Summary: When Timothy 'Sully' Sullivan sailed away, why didn't Brennan go with him? This story is AU and takes place in Season 2.
1. Chapter 1

(The Boneless Bride in the River)

A/N: Jazzyproz was my 1000th reviewer for my story "Strangers in an Airport". I promised her a story to show my gratitude. She gave me an excellent prompt.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you alright Bones?" After they had watched Sully sail away on the 'Temperance', Booth and Brennan had driven to the Royal Diner for breakfast. Booth had done his best to cajole his partner into a better frame of mind, but he knew that his partner was still hurting because of Sully's departure. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Using her fork, Brennan flipped a piece of fruit from one side of her bowl to the other side. "I just realized that I was right . . . I didn't want to be, but I was right after all."

Confused, Booth placed his fork down and stared at his partner. "What were you right about?"

"Love isn't real or if it is it doesn't last for long." She had thought that Sully would prove her wrong, but he had actually confirmed what she had always feared. "My parents loved me for a while and then abandoned me. My brother didn't want to be bothered taking care of me and he handed me over to Foster Care and Sully . . . I thought Sully loved me, but when I chose to stay and do my job, a job I trained for many years . . . he decided that his boat was more important than me and he left . . . It's not a good idea to fall in love with someone. They'll just betray you."

Shocked at her conclusion, Booth moved his plate over near the window and leaned forward on the table. "Hey that's not true, Bones. That's not true . . . Your parents ran away to protect you. They were afraid to take you with them because they had killers after them. They loved you, Bones . . . Max came back to protect you. He risked his life and his freedom to protect you from Kirby. He did that out of love and Russ . . . Russ was just nineteen years old when your parents ran away. It would have been tough for a nineteen-year-old to take care of a fifteen-year-old." He hated that Russ had been such a dirt bag and abandoned his sister when she needed him, but Booth needed Brennan to have her family back in her life. She was too isolated as far as he was concerned and he worried that she didn't think anyone loved her.

"You would have done it." Brennan was confident she knew her partner. She knew he was a responsible adult and an honorable man. "If you had had to take care of Jared at that age you would have done it. I know you . . . Russ just didn't want to deal with me. He said I wouldn't talk to him and everyone told him I belonged in foster care . . . Would you have placed Jared in foster care?" She had never met Jared, but she knew that he existed and she was confident that Booth would never betray his brother.

Realistically, Booth knew that she had a right to be angry with Russ. Even though she was trying to get closer to him at the moment she still had her doubts about him. "No, I wouldn't have . . . Russ is weak, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. What he did was wrong. He should have found a way to take care of you, but what he did he did out of love. He wanted to protect you and he was afraid he wasn't up to the job." _He could have tried to raise you, the asshole._

She snorted. The idea of Russ wanting to take care of her was ludicrous. "Yes, he protected me by giving me to an uncaring state agency. No, I'm right. Love isn't real. The chemical reaction that makes us think we are in love doesn't last. Love is just elevated levels of neurotransmitter dopamine. It stimulates desire and reward. It has the same effect on the brain as taking cocaine."

He hated when she talked like that. "Bones, that isn't true. Love isn't chemicals. It's a desire to be with the one you love even if you won't benefit from it. Sully liked you, but I don't think he loved you. If he had, he would have stayed. He wouldn't have bought that boat and just sailed away. He would have stayed because putting you first would have been the right thing to do. He had a good job here at the FBI, but he's restless. Nothing ever seems to capture his interest for very long . . . Hell he's been a carpenter, an EMT and an FBI Agent. He's talked about opening sandwich shops and being tour guide in the Caribbean. He's Peter Pan."

"I don't know what that means." She wanted to believe Booth was right, but experience told her that he was wrong.

"Peter Pan is a storybook character." He was used to her not understanding pop culture references. Most of the time he just explained and moved on. "He was a boy that never wanted to grow up. But you know what happens when you don't grow up?"

She was curious as to what he was going to say. "What?"

"You die." Booth thought it was obvious and was surprised that Brennan hadn't guessed the correct answer." If you don't grow older you die. Peter Pan lived in Neverland with a bunch of Lost boys. The land wasn't real and the boys who lived there with Peter didn't want to grow up either. Everyone that lives in Neverland is dead. They don't want to grow up and be adults and since that can't happen in the real world then their lives aren't real. They're just the ghosts of what they might have been . . . Sully is a nice guy, don't get me wrong I like him, but he's never going to settle down with anyone. He can't see when he has it good, because he's too busy looking for something better . . . He had you, Bones. He couldn't have done better if he had wanted to and he couldn't see that. He wanted something else and you didn't. You're the adult in this situation. Sully wasn't and he never will be."

She wanted to believe him, but it was hard to let go of an idea when that idea was so powerful. When she was fifteen, she lost her family and with it the thought that love was real. Sully had been the first man she had allowed to break down her walls. Up until her affair with Sully, she had considered all relationships to be temporary. She never expected any relationship she entered to last, but when she had started to date Sully she had thought perhaps he might be someone she could have a monogamous relationship. She trusted him because he seemed to mean the things he said to her. She had trusted him to protect her emotionally, but he had turned out to be like every man she had ever had a relationship with. They wanted her friendship and they wanted sex and nothing more. When she didn't want to give up her career, he chose to leave her behind. That wasn't love, at least not the love that was written about in books and in poetry or that Booth talked about. "I trusted him."

There it was. Booth heard that sad statement and he wanted to beat the shit out of Sully. Brennan was a strong independent woman, but she protected her heart from things like the stunt that her ex-boyfriend had pulled. It made him angry that Sully could treat his partner this way. It wasn't right. It would never be right. "I'm sorry that Sully turned out to be a disappointment, Bones, but he was just the wrong guy. If he had been the right guy he would have stayed. He would have worked it out with you."

She didn't know what to believe. She just knew that she felt crushed.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

A few days had passed since Sully had left searching for his perfect dream and their relationship was tense. Booth has started to wonder why Brennan had stayed at the Jeffersonian and so had Brennan.

Booth loved Brennan and he wanted her to be happy. She was the best friend he had ever had, but he worried that she had given up on a chance at love because of him. He knew she didn't love him, but he knew that she valued his friendship. He was someone she could trust and Brennan was all about trust. If he was the reason she had stayed, then he might be the fault of her never finding that one guy that would make her happy.

Sully had only asked her for one year of her life. She could have gone with him and lived a more adventurous life with someone that cared about her. He hated most men Brennan dated. They were just after one thing as far as he was concerned and they didn't seem to care about Brennan at all. Even though he thought Sully was a fool running after dreams, he might have been good for Brennan in the long run. She needed whimsy in her life. Her life was filled with science and logic and there never seemed to be any room for unfettered laughter and spontaneity. She didn't believe in love, but maybe Sully could have changed her mind if she had just given him a chance.

Of course, he often wished that she would give him a chance, but Booth knew that was a useless dream. She didn't consider him anything but a friend and it would always be that way. He had fallen in love with her on the day they had met, but he knew that he wasn't in her league. He was just a cop and she was a brilliant scientist, the top in her field. There was no hope that she would ever fall in love with him and he knew that. Damn it, he did know that.

Unknown to Booth, Brennan was having a crisis of her own. At first, she had assumed she had stayed because she wasn't willing to give up her career, not even if it was for just one year. She was the best forensic anthropologist in the world and in one year she could destroy that career. Perhaps some brilliant anthropologist would step forward and take her place negating her hard work. Sully's dream of being an island tour guide seemed pleasant enough, but she didn't want a pleasant life. She wanted to be the top in her field. She wanted the accolades due her for that hard work. She wanted to be in the forefront of new discoveries and she couldn't do that on a boat catering to tourists. She didn't have that kind of mentality and she never would.

As the days spun by another thought started to creep in to her mind. What if she had stayed because of Booth. What if she wasn't willing to give up his friendship for one year or forever? What did that mean? Did that mean that she loved him? That couldn't be since love wasn't real, but what if what she felt for Booth was strong enough that it didn't have to be named? Had she given up on Sully because of her job or because of Booth? That slight niggling thought started to grow and to build and soon it was all she thought about. Why had she really stayed? Sully was a great guy. Even Booth thought he was a great guy and she trusted Booth because of his people skills. She had none to speak of and suspected she never would. Why had she stayed? It worried her that she might know the answer to this question. It worried her that she might care for Booth as more than a friend. She wished she had someone to talk to her, but she felt that what she was feeling could be misinterpreted very easily by Angela. Her friend was emotional and logic wasn't her forte. If she dared to talk to Angela, she knew that her friend might become obsessed with the conversation and try to push her towards Booth. She needed someone who could think about all the ramifications and not just think with his or her heart.

She needed to talk to Booth.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were celebrating the conclusion of another case and having drinks at the Founding Fathers. The crowd was a normal Wednesday night crowd and therefore not as noisy as it could be on a Friday or Saturday night.

Tired of the constant doubt that lived with her about Sully, Brennan waited until there was a pause in their conversation, sipped some of her wine, placed the glass down and stared at her partner. "Why did you tell me to leave with Sully?"

Not sure where this was going, Booth cleared his throat. "Angela thinks my life is narrow and that you, working with me makes your life narrow too. She thinks Sully's life is wide." At the time, he had objected to having his life being called narrow, but after he had thought about it he had realized that his life was narrow, but it was the life he wanted. He had a job he loved and he was able to see his son because of that narrow life. When he was younger and in the Army, he had lived a wider life, but it had been a dangerous life and a lonely one.

Brennan found the whole thing to be insulting. "Angela is wrong, Booth. You don't live a narrow life. You are a brilliant investigator for the FBI. You have a son who loves you very much because you are around enough so that you can be his father. Angela probably thinks my father has a wide life too, but that lifestyle meant that I wasn't in it. Perhaps she thinks Russ' life is wide too, but I wasn't allowed to be part of his life either . . . You have a grandfather that loves you . . . friends . . . you fix up old cars and collect antiques. Angela was wrong to say that to you. Sully is never in one place long enough to create a family or to make many friends. He only has himself. He's alone. Why is his life considered wide and yours is considered narrow? That doesn't make sense. Also, me being with Sully would actually narrow my ties with family and friends. Don't you see that? Angela means well, but in this case, she doesn't know what she's talking about."

Her little rant made him feel better. He knew that she doubted herself and he knew she thought she lacked empathy, but then she would say something like this and she made him feel better. The sad thing was, she didn't understand that she had that kind of power over him. Maybe it was good that she didn't. "Thanks Bones. That was nice . . . Maybe you stayed because you didn't want to give up what you have. You are an important person in the forensic world. You worked hard to get there and just sailing away might be considered irresponsible . . . maybe you didn't like Sully enough to give up on everything else. It could be that simple."

"Perhaps." Brennan picked up her glass and sipped some of the Merlot. The glass back on the table, she leaned forward. "Sometimes I think I stayed because of you."

Her words confirmed what he had feared all along. He didn't want to be the cause of Brennan having a loveless life. "Me? I'm just your partner . . . your friend too, but I'm nothing special. Why do you think you stayed because of me?" He was worried. He was very worried. What if she wasn't willing to take risks because of his friendship? He didn't want to have that kind of influence over her. He didn't think she took enough personal risks in her life and he hated to think it was because of him.

She studied him for a few seconds and wondered if she was making a mistake. Maybe his friendship wasn't as strong as hers was. She had thought they were the best of friends, but maybe not. "You say you're not special, but that's nonsense really. You've been a great friend to me, Booth. You've helped me when I needed it. You were responsible for getting Russ back into my life. If you hadn't pushed me to talk to him, I would still be avoiding his phone calls on my birthday . . . When I need someone to talk to you're the one I turn to because you really listen to what I have to say. You don't try to change me. You accept me for who I am. That is no small thing Booth, believe me . . . I consider Angela like a sister, a surrogate sister since I don't actually have a sister, but she doesn't understand me as well as you do. She wants me to change who I am and I've tried to change for her, but I can't. I am who I am . . . We're partners. I investigate crimes with you and we do that as equals."

Brennan paused and sipped more of her wine, debating how much she wanted to say. "Being considered an equal in the professional world is rather rare for a woman. My profession is dominated by males and I have had to excel and exceed their expectations to be considered an equal. You have treated me as an equal from the beginning of our partnership. Yes, we are not in the same profession, but we are partners and you have never treated me less than I am . . . That is no small thing Booth."

Her words made him feel proud. Booth had recognized her strong independence early in their partnership and after just a few cases he knew that she could take care of herself. That fact actually made him want to protect her more. If that made him odd, then so be it. She was a risk taker and she needed him to modulate her. He kept her from being too brave too independent. "We make a great team, Bones. We have the best solve rate on the east coast. Hell, in a year or two we might be number one in the country. We're that good together."

"Yes, we are." Brennan was proud that she was not only considered the best forensic anthropologist in the country, but she was also part of one of the best investigative teams in the country. She now considered what she had to say probably a risk, but Sully leaving her had forced her to think about her life and what was important to her. She didn't want to be a coward and just ignore what needed to be said. "I think I stayed because I value your friendship more than Sully's friendship . . . He told me that he loved me, but he had an odd way of showing it I think. Leaving me like my family did . . . I liked him a lot, but as I've said I don't believe in love, not in the way you would define love. I cared for Sully and I thought it might be possible to allow him into my life on a more personal basis, but I was mistaken. He wanted me to give up everything I think is important and when I refused to do that, he left anyway. I knew he would. He had already bought the boat before he asked me to go with him. If he had really cared about me, he would have talked to me about what I wanted before he made the purchase . . . This was all about what Sully wanted not what I wanted."

"I'm sorry Bones." For someone that didn't trust her feelings, she seemed to have worked out just what the problem had been between her and Sully. She had known they would have never worked out. "I would have talked to you before I bought the boat. If I wanted to make a change in my life and it would affect you, I would definitely talk to you first because we're partners and because we're friends and that's what friends do."

His words gave her comfort and confidence. His kindness and consideration was why she could trust him more than anyone she knew. Booth didn't just think of himself. "I don't love you, Booth." She hesitated when she saw the look of sadness replace his smile. "I can't love anyone, but I do like you and I admire you . . . have you ever considered having a relationship with me?"

"What?" He was startled. Was she asking him what he thought she was asking him? "I mean, what do you mean a relationship?" He wanted to be cool, but how do you remain cool when the woman you love is asking you something this important? "Like a personal relationship?"

Worried that she was making a huge mistake, Brennan nodded her head. "A sexual relationship." There it was out in the open. Now she would see how he responded. The tennis ball was in his court.

"Not a casual relationship, Bones." He wanted her so badly, but he could never have a casual relationship with her. He valued her friendship too much. He wouldn't risk losing her over a fling. "I've thought about having a permanent relationship with you, but you don't believe in love."

"I believe in like, Booth." Brennan wasn't sure the conversation was going well. "I believe in trust, I believe in friendship and I believe in computability. I think we would have a successful monogamous relationship just based on those factors alone." Was that good enough? She was about to find out.

He was unprepared. He hadn't expected this to ever happen and he wasn't prepared. "I . . . I . . . sorry, I'm just . . ." He reached out and placed his hand over her hand. "I would like a relationship with you, Bones, but are you sure this is what you want? Sully just left you behind a week ago . . . Are you really sure this is what you need right now? I can wait if you need to think it over. I mean, of course I want to be with you, but I don't want you to regret your decision later. This is too important."

And this was why she thought so much of Booth. He was concerned that she was making her decision on a whim because of Sully. "I don't need time to think about it, Booth. I've been thinking about it since Sully sailed away. I stayed because of you. I wasn't sure before, but I am now. I would have missed you if I had left you behind. The pain of leaving you behind would not have been worth going away with Sully. I've grown used to your smiles, your caring, your trust, your friendship, your impatience when things are taking too long or when someone isn't speaking what you consider appropriate English, your pouting . . ."

"My pouting? I don't pout." Booth thought she was taking things too far. "When have I ever pouted about anything?"

Amused at the way her partner was pouting at that moment, Brennan chuckled. "Every time you ask me if you can read my newest book and I say no. You really have to wait until they're published."

"Well, I am your partner." He didn't see why he couldn't read her books before they were published and he didn't pout damn it.

Brennan turned her hand over and clinched Booth's hand. "I would miss our arguments, our drinks at the Founding Fathers, lunch at the Royal Diner and all the other things we do together. I would miss you, Booth. That is why I stayed and that is why I think we can have a relationship together. We are already in a relationship, just not a sexual one."

She was being honest and he knew that she was right. "If you had left I would have missed your smile, your friendship, your ability to help me control my tempter. We both know I have a temper and it's a miracle I don't shoot people, but you help me calm down and that's no little thing. I love your sense of humor and I love we can talk about anything. You're my best friend, Bones."

"Not your best friend." She interrupted him. She doubted she was his best friend. Booth had a lot of friends.

"My best friend, Bones." She really didn't understand how hard it was for him to make deep friendships. That required trust and he wasn't willing to trust just anyone. "You have been for a while now . . . you have no idea how crazy I got when you and Hodgins were kidnapped by the Gravedigger. I was threatening to kill people while we were searching for you and I meant it too. I wasn't going to let anyone get in my way."

A tear formed and escaped her lashes. "I was never so happy to see anyone than when you pulled me from the gravel . . . your hand pulling me to the light . . . it seems like a cliched metaphor, but when I was free from the gravel . . . I knew then that I would always trust you, always. You didn't give up looking for me . . . you would never give up looking for me."

"Never Bones. I never would. I love you." They were in a public place surrounded by people, but Booth didn't care. He stood up, moved around the table and as she turned on her chair to face him, he took her hands and pulled her up. "I would be honored to be in a relationship with you Temperance Brennan." He kissed her and to his delight, she kissed back.

Sully had screwed up. He was off searching for his perfect dream while Booth had found his standing before him.

The clapping and catcalls that followed their kiss, made them pause. Booth looked around, turned back to face his girlfriend and smiled. "Fuck them." His lips met hers and they kissed once more.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story.

A/N: there will be a second chapter. I just need to write it.


	2. Chapter 2

(After 'Stargazer in a Puddle')

This is the final chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

It had been six months since he had sailed away from his former life and Timothy 'Sully' Sullivan was finally able to admit to himself that he had made a mistake. A huge mistake. A colossal mistake.

He had set up his tour guide business in The United States Virgin Islands. Business was a little slow, but he did enough business to make ends meet and he was making a small profit each month. He knew it would take time to gain a reputation and build up his business, but he thought he was patient enough to do that. He had found someone born on the islands to go into business with him and it was as much fun as he thought it would be, but he was missing something in his life and he knew exactly what it was.

In his haste to start a new life, he had sailed away from Temperance Brennan and he had regretted it the moment he lost sight of her on the dock. His last sight of her had been of her standing near the edge of the dock talking to Seeley Booth. He had known that Booth would be there because he's a great guy and he likes his partner, but he had still felt a twinge of jealousy. Brennan had chosen to stay at the Jeffersonian and work with Booth instead of coming with him and it still hurt a little. Hell, it hurt a lot, but she was a free agent just like he was and you have to live the life you were meant to live. Don't you?

After six months, he asked his partner Peter Ross, to take over for a few weeks while he went back to D.C. to see if he could make his case with Brennan again. He wasn't just a guy with a boat and a vague plan, he was a businessman and he had more to offer her now. If only he could persuade her to see that what he was offering was good for her.

Oooooooooooooooo

It was a typical hot summer day in Washington D.C. and Sully was determined to meet with Brennan as soon as possible. Arriving at the Jeffersonian, he found that he didn't have easy access to the Lab like he used to. When he was an FBI agent his badge was his pass into the Lab. Now that he was a civilian he found that he had to have permission to enter and he didn't even have that. After talking to security, he found out that his former girlfriend was off for the day, due to illness, so it wasn't necessary for him to gain access to the Lab anyway. He knew the only reason that the security guard had told him was because he had seen Sully a few times with Brennan.

Not willing to give up, he drove over to her apartment and found that she had moved the previous month. The manager wouldn't give him her new address and his frustration was growing. Out of options, he drove over to the Hoover and waited in the lobby for his friend Seeley Booth to come down and talk to him.

Pacing the lobby under the watchful eyes of the security team stationed there, Sully finally noticed Booth approaching him. "Hey, Seel. I'm glad you could meet with me."

Booth shook his friend's hand and looked him over. "Nice tan. Your boat must be what the doctor ordered."

Smoothing his tropical shirt down his chest, Sully smiled. "Yeah, I started a new business and it's doing pretty good. I actually started showing a profit two months ago."

Curious why his friend was back in town, Booth glanced at his watch. "I have time, want to get a cup of coffee at the Diner? I could use one."

"Sure." Sully followed Booth towards the entrance. "I tried to go see Temperance, but she's not at work today and I found out she moved. Her former landlord wouldn't tell me where she moved to."

Once he was outside and on the sidewalk, Booth turned to walk towards the diner. "She has a bad cold. She's stubborn and wanted to go to work, but she's kind of weak and a little feverish, so I talked her into staying home today. It almost took an act of Congress. She thinks mind over matter works when it comes to illness, but not this time."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sully didn't say anything further until they arrived at the diner, was seated and their coffee order had been made. "I want to see her, but I don't know where she lives and she changed her phone number."

Booth sat back as his cup of coffee and slice of apple pie was placed on the table in front of him. "She changed her number because some fan of hers found out what the number was and published the damn thing on a fan site. She was pissed, but what can you do? You can't answer the phone all day and talk to fans."

His cup of coffee and a donut were placed in front of Sully and Booth noticed that his friend was now drinking his coffee black. It was an odd change, but not worth mentioning.

Sully sipped his coffee and regretted that his doctor had told him he had to cut back on sugar. "I guess it can be a hassle to be famous. Nothing I'll ever have to worry about . . . So, can you give her phone number?"

"Let me call her and ask her." Booth pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. "She's kind of funny about giving her number out. That fan invading her privacy spooked her." The phone ringing, Booth waited for Brennan to pick up.

 _Brennan._

"Hey Bones, guess who's in town?" Booth smiled at his friend. "Sully's here sitting with me in the Diner and he wants to talk to you. He wants to know if I can give him your phone number, so he can call you."

 _Yes, of course._ Her cough started and it sounded quite harsh. Once it was done, she cleared her throat. _Could you bring me some more tissues and some Sprite or Seven Up? My stomach has been bothering me all morning._

"Sure I can." Booth glanced at his watch. "I'll go to the store at lunch time and drive it over. Try to get some rest. I can stop by Mama's and pick up some minestrone if you'd like me to."

 _Thank you. That might be good. I've just been eating crackers and toast, but I think I should try something a little more substantial. I think my stomach is protesting the harshness of the cough medicine and cold medicine I've been taking for the last three days. Vegetable soup might help the situation._

"I told you, you need to eat, Bones . . . I'll be there at around noon." Booth ended the call. "Colds suck."

Sully agreed. "I'll say." He sipped his coffee and watched Booth write a number on the back of one of his cards. Taking it from him, he saw a phone number and the word Bones written under it. "Thanks man." After he placed the card next to his cup of coffee, Sully bit into his donut and chewed slowly.

Not sure why Sully was in town, he could make an educated guess. "Gonna try to ask Bones to go back with you?" Booth wasn't worried, it was more curiosity than anything.

He should have known that Booth would figure it out. "Yeah . . . My business is starting to take off and it's not just a pipe dream anymore. I'm going to ask her to give me another chance. This time I'm not going to ask for a year of her time. I think that was why she balked . . . too much too soon . . . I think if she gives me a month and sees how much fun it is, she might extend it to maybe a half a year. I should have tried baby steps to begin with instead of charging at her and demanding she try a whole year."

"Yeah, maybe." Booth sipped his coffee. "You can't push Bones into anything. She has to think it through and it has to be logical. Of course, it's been six months since you sailed away and things have changed."

Solemnly, Sully nodded his head. "I know time didn't stand still, just because I wasn't around and I see she moved, so I guess she's been busy living her life, but I still think I'd be good for her. She works too hard, elbows deep in blood and dead bodies and trying to catch murderers. She needs to find some balance in her life . . . some happiness. I can make her happy if she'd let me."

Fiddling with his fork, Booth debated warning his friend about his relationship with Brennan, but he decided to let Sully find out on his own. He wasn't running Brennan's life even if he was living with her. He was confident that she loved him and would send Sully packing, but it had to be her not him that did it. She would not appreciate him running interference for her. She was a little prickly about her independence. "Well, call her and see if she'll let you visit her this morning." If there was something he was confident about, it was that Brennan loved him and not Sully.

"I will." Sully pulled his phone from his pants pocket and made the call.

 _Brennan._

"Hey, Brennan, it's Sully." She sounded stuffy, but who didn't when they had a cold? "I'm in town for a couple of weeks and I was wondering if you're up for some company. If you're too sick, I can see you tomorrow or the day after."

 _Yes, of course you may visit me. I assume you are still with Booth. Ask him for directions to my new place of residence. I'm sure you know I've moved._

"Yeah, I know." Sully was thrilled that Brennan was willing to see him. "I'll be there in about thirty to forty-five minutes . . . well, unless you moved to Timbuktu."

She laughed. _That would make for quite a commute to the Jeffersonian. No, I am approximately thirty minutes from the Jeffersonian. A fairly reasonable commute time._

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit." He ended the phone call and smiled at Booth. "Give me the address and I'll go. It was nice seeing you Booth. Maybe we can get together before I leave. I do plan to steal your partner from you, so I guess you'd better prepare yourself. I'm going to do a full court press."

Amused, Booth wrote his address on the back of another business card and gave it to his friend. "Um, well don't be surprised if she turns you down again. Like I said, things have changed."

"Maybe, but I think I can talk her into it." Sully took the card and glanced at the address. "Things may have changed, but they can change again."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The house was a two story house set back from the street. It had a nice front yard and a detached two car garage. "Not bad, Brennan. Not bad at all." He worried that the new house would make it harder for her consider moving. "Why the hell did I sail away without trying again? Dumb ass."

He parked in front of the closed garage, got out of his rental and looked around. It was a nice neighborhood, but it seemed kind of boring and not Brennan's style at all. Things had changed alright.

Knocking on the front door, he held a posy of flowers in his hand and hoped she liked them.

"Sully!" The door opened and Brennan hugged him, crushing the flowers. He returned her hug and it felt wonderful to have her arms around him and his arms around her.

She stepped back and pointed at the flowers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to damage your flowers."

He held them towards her. "These are for you." A few of the flowers were bent and several petals lay at their feet, but they were still flowers and it was the thought that counted.

"Thank you." She took them, stepped back and motioned her ex to enter. "Come in. I have a cold so it would probably be wiser if you stayed your distance." She moved through the living room and into the kitchen where she found a vase, filled it with water and placed the flowers inside.

Sully followed her into the kitchen and found it to be a rather middle class designed room. It was nothing like the modern looking kitchen in her previous apartment. "This is nice." He watched her place the flowers on the kitchen table and smiled at how domestic her actions seemed. "Things must be going pretty good if you moved. I liked the old apartment though. It was closer to downtown and . . . anyway, this house is nice."

Brennan smiled. "We just moved in a month ago. We still have some boxes unpacked in the basement and upstairs, but we're almost done."

"We?" A knot formed in his stomach. He cleared his throat. "You're living with someone?" _Please let it be Angela._

"Yes, Booth and I are in a monogamous relationship now." She was surprised that Sully didn't know that. "I thought you were with Booth earlier."

Not sure what game Booth was playing, Sully glanced at the back door and cursed his friend's smug sense of humor. "I was and he didn't mention it."

"That's odd." Brennan decided she'd ask her boyfriend why he hadn't mentioned their relationship to Sully when she saw him. "Perhaps he thought you knew already."

Sully sat down and stared at his clasped hands resting on the table top. "I don't think so. I told him I was in town to see if I could talk you into coming back with me. I'm living in the United States Virgin Islands. My business has taken off and I'm actually showing a profit now . . . I was going to ask you to give me a chance since I wasn't just a guy with a dream . . . I should have written you." He felt foolish. "Booth said that things had changed. I should have asked him how."

Brennan sat down at the table and reached her hand out to cover his clasped hands. "Booth and I had several conversations when you left and we realized that starting a personal relationship made sense. We're great friends and we share a lot of common interests, well some common interests. I know we don't seem compatible to those who don't know us well, but we really are. I've never known anyone like Booth. He helped me have a relationship with my brother and he helped me find out what happened to my mother. He's been a good friend when I needed one. He's someone I can count on and he can count on me too."

"Yeah, he's a great guy." There was no hope and he knew it. Booth had found the courage to talk to his partner and Brennan was committed to the relationship. "I'm glad you found someone, Brennan. I really am . . . If I'd stayed . . . would we have had a chance?"

She wasn't sure. "Perhaps, perhaps not . . . I'm not sure. Eventually you would have wanted to move on from the FBI and I wasn't prepared to give up my position at the Jeffersonian . . . You have a wanderlust that I don't have. I'm established in my field and I hope to continue my work for many years to come. Booth knows that and is very supportive. We make an excellent team."

"Okay." He didn't really have anything else to say. Well, almost. "I hope you remember to have fun, Temperance Brennan. Life isn't just about dead bodies and bones and blood. You need to find things that make you happy."

Brennan smiled and released his hands. "Booth makes me happy, Sully." She knew he hadn't understood her when they were dating. He never could see who she really was. Sully had just seen the woman he wanted her to be. Booth saw her as she was and she loved him for that.

"I'm glad. I really am." He stood up and rubbed the back on his head. "It's been nice seeing you. If you ever get to the Virgin Islands look me up. My business is The Neverland Tours."

A little shocked, Brennan opened her mouth then closed it. _How does Booth do that? I will never understand how he can read people the way he does. "_ Yes, if we're ever there, we will look you up."

 _We._ Sully nodded his head. "Call me sometimes. We can talk about old times."

"Yes, of course." She knew it was an empty promise. She would not call him. "Thank you for the flowers and thank you for dropping by."

After he was gone, Brennan made sure the front door was locked, lay down on the couch in the living room, covered up with an Afghan and fell asleep.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

He found her sleeping in the living room. Placing his grocery sacks on the chair next to the couch, he sat down on the coffee table facing Brennan. "Hey, Bones . . . Bones, I brought you some lunch."

Awake, Brennan blew her nose on a tissue and smiled. "I didn't hear you enter the house. I must be very tired."

She looked tired, worn out really and it made Booth feel bad for her. She was rarely sick and he hated it when she was. "Well, I brought you some minestrone, so that might hit the spot." He reached over to the bags, rummaged around and pulled out two boxes of tissues and placed them on the coffee table next to him as well as a bag of cough drops and bag of peanut butter cookies. "Some cookies for when you feel better."

"Thank you, Booth. That was very considerate." She moved her feet so she was sitting up. "Will you join me for lunch?"

"Sure, I bought enough for both of us." Booth stood up and walked over to the kitchen, his partner following him. Once she was settled at the table, he grabbed two bowls from the cabinet, two spoons, two knives and placed them on the table. Opening the bag, he pulled out a large container of soup and a smaller bag of sliced Italian Bread. Snapping his fingers, he walked over to the fridge and brought back a tub of butter, a beer for him and a bottle of water for her. Once he sat down, they divided up the soup and the bread. "Did Sully come by?"

Buttering a slice of bread, Brennan paused. "Yes . . . why didn't you tell him that we're living together?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "He's your ex-boyfriend. I thought you should tell him." He smiled. "Besides, it would have sounded like bragging if I had told him."

A slight smile on her face, Brennan knew that Booth was telling her that he was proud to be with her in a relationship. "Aw, that's actually a romantic thing to say."

"Yeah?" Booth winked at Brennan. "Since he's not here and you are, I guess he couldn't change your mind."

"Of course not." She saw his smile and understood she was being teased. "Do you know the name of his charter business?"

Swallowing some beer, Booth placed the bottle on the table. "Peter Pan Incorporated?"

"Close . . . The Neverland Tours." She still found that hard to believe. "You knew he was Peter Pan."

"Of course." Booth picked up his spoon. "I told you Bones. He's never going to grow up. He sailed away from you six months ago and he thought he could sail right back into your life. No repercussions for what he did. Just come back and expect you to have your life on hold waiting for him. It's no way to live and it's disrespectful as hell." It made him angry that Sully refused to grow up, but then again, Sully's perpetual childhood meant that he got the woman he loved and not Sully. "If he had really loved you he wouldn't have left you. He would have stuck around and tried to make it work . . . well he didn't and that's too bad for him. You belong to me and he can go look for some lost boys to join him in Neverland."

"I don't belong to you." That was why she hated the idea of marriage. She wasn't property. "No one owns me."

Booth placed his spoon down. "I belong to you and you belong to me. We're in a monogamous relationship and no poachers are allowed . . . That's what it means to be in relationship, Bones." Booth removed a small bag from his jacket pocket and handed to Brennan.

Curious, Brennan opened the bag and found a jazz CD. "Thank you. I don't have this one."

"I know." Booth picked up his knife and buttered a slice of bread. "I know you, Bones. I knew that you didn't have this latest CD. I know what you like, I know what you love and I know what irritates the shit out of you. That's because you belong to me and it's my duty to know these things. Don't fight it, Bones. Just go with it."

She flipped the CD over and read the back. "Well, I know what you like and I know what you hate and I know what makes you moan in pleasure, so I guess you belong to me too."

His eyes glittering, Booth licked his bottom lip. "You know, when you get well, I'm going to show you that I know what makes you moan too and I'll probably make you squeal too."

"Booth!' She couldn't help it, she laughed. "Sully told me that I needed to find happiness and I told him I already have . . . you make me happy, Booth."

Filled with pride, Booth winked at her. "Thanks, Bones. You make me happy too."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you thought of my story. Thank you.


End file.
